Chapter 8
As Buffy walked alongside the Elf, the rays of sunlight flowing through the branches of the forest made the scene seem unreal. The leaves were a striking jade-green in color, unlike any that she had seen before. Oz and Willow were deep in discussion about something and she had the feeling that Spike was planning mischief of some kind, but she could only take in the face of the Elf with his bright smile and gleaming eyes which were focused solely on her.
Legolas' voice was as warm, sweet honey. "I was telling you how lovely you are. And how glad I am that we did not have to fight." He was not used to seeing a fighting female, neither She-Elf nor human, and the thought of one so beautiful also being a highly skilled warrior made his Elvish blood run hot.
Buffy blushed even deeper and suddenly could think of nothing to say. Walking this near to the Elf was intoxicating. His very scent seemed a blend of honeysuckle and roses that caused the tingling in her toes to delightfully expand throughout her body.
Taking a deep breath to center her, Buffy found what she was looking for. Knowledge and remembrances. Remembrances of the past and knowledge of the future. Of pain, suffering, and doom. The doom of the Scoobies; her doom. This would not work out. She willed the tingling to stop and emptied her mind of the warmth and glow that had taken up residence there.
She looked directly at Legolas and was abruptly all business, "How much further?"
Legolas was taken aback and a slight frown crossed his beautiful face. Before he could answer, Aragorn stopped suddenly and held up a hand and cocked his head as if listening.
The Elf's face was intense as he looked at Buffy. "Come!" was whispered urgently before he went forward to where Aragorn was now crouching.
Buffy handed Spike's lead to Oz, and as she handed her stake to Willow, pointedly looked at Spike and said, "If he does anything. Anything! Understand?" Oz frowned and Willow wore her most determined look.
"Don't worry Buffy. Dust." Then Willow looked at Oz before glancing at Spike, who seemed to be making an effort to chew through his gag.
Buffy quickly went up to the Ranger and Elf who were peering through underbrush into a ravine into the distance.
Aragorn's voice betrayed his concern. "I see Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls. There are other creatures that I cannot identify."
Legolas could only agree with the Ranger. "I recognize some, but many others are unknown to me. These creatures do not normally travel by day and never do they travel together. Aragorn, I know not what to make of this."
Buffy's eyes adjusted and grew into slits. "I think I can help you there, guys. It looks like your baddies have teamed up with demons and vamps from Earth. And a few other places, if I'm not mistaken." She looked at Aragorn and Legolas. "It's starting to look like Grand Central for baddies."
Aragorn looked to the right. "We can go around the ravine. It will take more time and place us deeper into the forest, but we will be able to avoid them."
"'Avoid them'?" Buffy repeated. "There are only twenty or thirty. Let's get them! There are three of us! No problem." She began to stand.
"Wait." Aragorn looked earnestly into her eyes and placed a hand on her slight shoulder to restrain her. "We seek the Wizard. I wish to know what I am fighting before engaging them. There is much going on here. We must not rush into battle. That may be what they seek."
The bloodlust drained from her flushed face. Aragorn was right. They needed more information.
Aragorn discerned her and Legolas as he tilted his head; the same searching look he had given the enemy. "So, Slayer. Has not Legolas captivated your heart by now? You have been walking with him alone, and we have been on this trail for a while. And with Elvish charm focused on a human with full force, it does not take long." He glanced down with a distant look on his handsome face. "Trust me. I know about this power first hand. Once captivated, even the strongest of magic cannot break its hold." A smile came upon his lips as memory overtook him.
Legolas seemed hurt. "Aragorn, I was certainly not trying to -"
Buffy held both hands up. "It's ok. He was a perfect gentlem-, um, gentleElf. I'm just not into dating right now." She sighed and a tired look was hidden by a smile. "You know, slayage, school, family, stuff. Its pretty much 24/7 for me."
Aragorn laughed aloud and slapped Legolas on the shoulder. "I have never seen you fail in a conquest; enemy or female. Either the Slayer is most powerful indeed, or you are slipping, my friend."
A slight smile played on the lips of the Elf. "The journey is not over yet, Aragorn."
Buffy had enough. Her annoyance was obvious. "Hey! I'm sitting right here, guys. Don't you know it's not nice to talk about women like conquests?" She saw the puzzled look on their faces. "Oh, just skip it."
Muffled noises from behind them caused her to turn and leap immediately in that direction. She knew it had to be Spike causing trouble. What she didn't expect was the sight that confronted her.
Spike had escaped his bonds and gotten rid of the gag. That, she was actually expecting. The sight of Oz effortlessly knocking him to the ground, then sitting astride Spike's back and trussing and gagging him in expert fashion made her stop in her tracks.
Willow's face was pale and as Oz finished with Spike and stood, she could only ask, "How did you do that?"
Buffy grinned and said appreciatively, "Way to go, Oz."
Oz looked at Spike on the ground, then at his hands, then at his friends. "I don't know what happened. I just knew that he wasn't going to get away and that I could take him." A wry look crossed his face as he placed his hands on the front of his green tunic. "I don't think it was the clothes."
"Willow! Could you have done this with the amulet when you changed Oz back?"
"I don't think so. That wasn't a part of the spell. I the took the 'Wolf' out of him and made him human. Not stronger."
Buffy only had to glance at the surprise on Spike's face. "Hmmm. Spike didn't know about Oz either." She wondered. "Will. Try something magical. Something harmless but something that you haven't been able to do before."
Willow saw where Buffy was going. "Ok. Let me see. I have it!" She reached out a hand towards a felled tree a few feet away and said a few words. Nothing happened. She pointed to the sky and spoke another spell. Again, nothing. She looked disappointedly at Buffy. Then she lifted a hand and caused a small tree limb to spin as a top. "No difference." Then an idea came to her and she brought out the amulet that they had taken from Spike. "What if I try something with this?"
Buffy saw Spike's eyes blaze with an internal fire. Eagerness burned brightly from within him.
She quickly stepped to Willow and took the amulet. "Let's hold off on that for a while, Will. Spikie looks a little overeager for you to try it. As Giles would say, 'Let's not be too hasty.'"
The brightness in Spike's eyes burned out to reveal a sullen expression. His eyes told Buffy what his mouth could not.
She could only thank god, ok, Oz, that he was gagged. Or they would have to put up with more of his endless yammering.
Willow eyed Buffy carefully. "How do you feel? Any stronger?"
"Can't tell now, but I think I'll know soon, if I read my demons right."
She thought to herself: I do feel different. And it's getting stronger. Spike and Willow are the same, but something is affecting Oz and myself. Just another piece of this puzzle.
Aragorn and Legolas had watched without comment. Then Aragorn pointed to Spike. "I feel it is a mistake to take this creature further. He will only cause trouble and there are enough foul beasts roaming these woods already." He looked meaningfully at Buffy.
"You may be right, Aragorn. If so, it won't be my first mistake, or my last. Like signing up for Psyc, Biology, French, and College Algebra at the same time. Just asking for trouble. But hey! 'Trouble' is my middle name!"
Oz had to chime in, "Trust her on that one."
Willow agreed with a wide grin.
Buffy placed her hands on her hips and said, "Let's get to it, guys. We don't have all day, you know!" She grabbed Spike's tether and yanked him to his feet. "Lead on, someone. This Wizard better be worth it."
This time, the Elf took the lead with the Ranger trailing Buffy. Spike walked ahead of Buffy and actually seemed to be cooperating, which meant that he was planning something else, so she kept a close eye on him as the breathtaking scenery went by at a fast clip. They had made a detour to the right, away from the ravine, which was taking them into a hilly and even more deeply forested area.
Legolas had shared his water skein with Willow and Oz and she had made use of Aragorn's. The vision of a Smoothie went through her head. She shook this away. Then a frozen Mocha Latte beckoned. This also she ignored but silently vowed to hit a Starbuck's the first chance she got.
She was just wondering how much longer, when the Elf stopped and motioned for Aragorn to come forward. Still holding Spike's rope, she followed Aragorn; then squeezed between them to see a campsite with two people sitting at a fire. The first was in a hooded black robe, and the second was - .
"Giles!" She tossed the rope to Aragorn and rushed forward. Laughing, Willow followed her. Oz came close to smiling and went to catch up with Willow.
Legolas and Aragorn said in unison, "Wait!"
Legolas looked back at Spike. "We are stuck with this foul beast again. Do we follow them, Aragorn?"
The Ranger took a deep breath. "We said we would lead them to Gandalf, and we have yet to do so. We shall follow them."
Giles had his head in his hands so he didn't see Buffy's approach. But the, "Giles! What are you doing here?" that came from Buffy brought him to his feet immediately.
He grabbed her and gave her a big hug before releasing her long enough to say, "I have no idea how I got here." Then seeing Willow and Oz, his huge grin got even larger. "I am so glad that all of you made it alright."
Just then, Xander came out of the forest carrying small branches that he had gathered for the fire. He put the bundle down and said, "Yup. I know we're in trouble now. We're all together in this demon dimension. That can only mean one thing."
Everyone looked at him, except for the guy in the black robe who just sat and stared into the flame.
"Death, apocalypse, destruction, the end of the world. Ok, maybe the end of everything. Am I right?" Xander was nervous but hiding it well with his cheerful grin. And definitely happy to see his friends.
Willow went up to Xander and hugged him tightly. "It can't be all that bad if we're together. Right, Giles? I mean, we've been in tough situations and gotten out before."
Giles looked at the black robed man. "This gentleman has not spoken a word to us since we arrived. But somehow I think that he brought Xander and myself here."
Buffy was puzzled before, but this was getting difficult to keep up with. She looked at the figure. "Can he get us all back?"
Giles took Buffy gently by the arms. He was trying to find some way to tell her.
But before he could say anything, the black robed figure said, "There is nothing to go back to, Slayer." The voice was deep and spoke with dignity and authority. What was that strange accent, somewhat British, but not quite?
She approached the fire just as Aragorn and Legolas arrived pulling Spike. She heard rather than saw Aragorn draw his sword. His keen eyes were upon the black-cloaked figure.
"Buffy, this person is not Gandalf." Aragorn was now alongside Buffy with his sword raised.
Again, the voice, "No, Aragorn. But friend to Gandalf the Grey." Long slender fingers pulled the hood from the head, revealing a shock of black hair, and sparkling black eyes knowingly gazed at them. The high cheekbones, firm jaw line, fair face, and stubborn chin suggested an Elfish quality, but the ears were not pointed. There was no indication of age and his velvet black robe showed a bright scarlet lining.
He smiled as Aragorn and Buffy approached.
With Aragorn standing to her left and Giles on her right, the words spoken by the figure in the black robe finally got through to her.
She took a step closer and asked, "What do you mean there's nothing left?" Turning to Giles she needed to know, "What happened?"
Giles slowly took off his glasses, using the time to try to find words that he didn't want to say. Gently, "Buffy. It happened so quickly-"
Her voice was more forceful this time. "What happened?"
Just then an eerie sound came from the gagged Spike that could only be interpreted as laughter, even through the layers of cloth. The evil expression in his glowing eyes conveyed triumph.
TBC
As Buffy walked alongside the Elf, the rays of sunlight flowing through the branches of the forest made the scene seem unreal. The leaves were a striking jade-green in color, unlike any that she had seen before. Oz and Willow were deep in discussion about something and she had the feeling that Spike was planning mischief of some kind, but she could only take in the face of the Elf with his bright smile and gleaming eyes which were focused solely on her.
Legolas' voice was as warm, sweet honey. "I was telling you how lovely you are. And how glad I am that we did not have to fight." He was not used to seeing a fighting female, neither She-Elf nor human, and the thought of one so beautiful also being a highly skilled warrior made his Elvish blood run hot.
Buffy blushed even deeper and suddenly could think of nothing to say. Walking this near to the Elf was intoxicating. His very scent seemed a blend of honeysuckle and roses that caused the tingling in her toes to delightfully expand throughout her body.
Taking a deep breath to center her, Buffy found what she was looking for. Knowledge and remembrances. Remembrances of the past and knowledge of the future. Of pain, suffering, and doom. The doom of the Scoobies; her doom. This would not work out. She willed the tingling to stop and emptied her mind of the warmth and glow that had taken up residence there.
She looked directly at Legolas and was abruptly all business, "How much further?"
Legolas was taken aback and a slight frown crossed his beautiful face. Before he could answer, Aragorn stopped suddenly and held up a hand and cocked his head as if listening.
The Elf's face was intense as he looked at Buffy. "Come!" was whispered urgently before he went forward to where Aragorn was now crouching.
Buffy handed Spike's lead to Oz, and as she handed her stake to Willow, pointedly looked at Spike and said, "If he does anything. Anything! Understand?" Oz frowned and Willow wore her most determined look.
"Don't worry Buffy. Dust." Then Willow looked at Oz before glancing at Spike, who seemed to be making an effort to chew through his gag.
Buffy quickly went up to the Ranger and Elf who were peering through underbrush into a ravine into the distance.
Aragorn's voice betrayed his concern. "I see Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls. There are other creatures that I cannot identify."
Legolas could only agree with the Ranger. "I recognize some, but many others are unknown to me. These creatures do not normally travel by day and never do they travel together. Aragorn, I know not what to make of this."
Buffy's eyes adjusted and grew into slits. "I think I can help you there, guys. It looks like your baddies have teamed up with demons and vamps from Earth. And a few other places, if I'm not mistaken." She looked at Aragorn and Legolas. "It's starting to look like Grand Central for baddies."
Aragorn looked to the right. "We can go around the ravine. It will take more time and place us deeper into the forest, but we will be able to avoid them."
"'Avoid them'?" Buffy repeated. "There are only twenty or thirty. Let's get them! There are three of us! No problem." She began to stand.
"Wait." Aragorn looked earnestly into her eyes and placed a hand on her slight shoulder to restrain her. "We seek the Wizard. I wish to know what I am fighting before engaging them. There is much going on here. We must not rush into battle. That may be what they seek."
The bloodlust drained from her flushed face. Aragorn was right. They needed more information.
Aragorn discerned her and Legolas as he tilted his head; the same searching look he had given the enemy. "So, Slayer. Has not Legolas captivated your heart by now? You have been walking with him alone, and we have been on this trail for a while. And with Elvish charm focused on a human with full force, it does not take long." He glanced down with a distant look on his handsome face. "Trust me. I know about this power first hand. Once captivated, even the strongest of magic cannot break its hold." A smile came upon his lips as memory overtook him.
Legolas seemed hurt. "Aragorn, I was certainly not trying to -"
Buffy held both hands up. "It's ok. He was a perfect gentlem-, um, gentleElf. I'm just not into dating right now." She sighed and a tired look was hidden by a smile. "You know, slayage, school, family, stuff. Its pretty much 24/7 for me."
Aragorn laughed aloud and slapped Legolas on the shoulder. "I have never seen you fail in a conquest; enemy or female. Either the Slayer is most powerful indeed, or you are slipping, my friend."
A slight smile played on the lips of the Elf. "The journey is not over yet, Aragorn."
Buffy had enough. Her annoyance was obvious. "Hey! I'm sitting right here, guys. Don't you know it's not nice to talk about women like conquests?" She saw the puzzled look on their faces. "Oh, just skip it."
Muffled noises from behind them caused her to turn and leap immediately in that direction. She knew it had to be Spike causing trouble. What she didn't expect was the sight that confronted her.
Spike had escaped his bonds and gotten rid of the gag. That, she was actually expecting. The sight of Oz effortlessly knocking him to the ground, then sitting astride Spike's back and trussing and gagging him in expert fashion made her stop in her tracks.
Willow's face was pale and as Oz finished with Spike and stood, she could only ask, "How did you do that?"
Buffy grinned and said appreciatively, "Way to go, Oz."
Oz looked at Spike on the ground, then at his hands, then at his friends. "I don't know what happened. I just knew that he wasn't going to get away and that I could take him." A wry look crossed his face as he placed his hands on the front of his green tunic. "I don't think it was the clothes."
"Willow! Could you have done this with the amulet when you changed Oz back?"
"I don't think so. That wasn't a part of the spell. I the took the 'Wolf' out of him and made him human. Not stronger."
Buffy only had to glance at the surprise on Spike's face. "Hmmm. Spike didn't know about Oz either." She wondered. "Will. Try something magical. Something harmless but something that you haven't been able to do before."
Willow saw where Buffy was going. "Ok. Let me see. I have it!" She reached out a hand towards a felled tree a few feet away and said a few words. Nothing happened. She pointed to the sky and spoke another spell. Again, nothing. She looked disappointedly at Buffy. Then she lifted a hand and caused a small tree limb to spin as a top. "No difference." Then an idea came to her and she brought out the amulet that they had taken from Spike. "What if I try something with this?"
Buffy saw Spike's eyes blaze with an internal fire. Eagerness burned brightly from within him.
She quickly stepped to Willow and took the amulet. "Let's hold off on that for a while, Will. Spikie looks a little overeager for you to try it. As Giles would say, 'Let's not be too hasty.'"
The brightness in Spike's eyes burned out to reveal a sullen expression. His eyes told Buffy what his mouth could not.
She could only thank god, ok, Oz, that he was gagged. Or they would have to put up with more of his endless yammering.
Willow eyed Buffy carefully. "How do you feel? Any stronger?"
"Can't tell now, but I think I'll know soon, if I read my demons right."
She thought to herself: I do feel different. And it's getting stronger. Spike and Willow are the same, but something is affecting Oz and myself. Just another piece of this puzzle.
Aragorn and Legolas had watched without comment. Then Aragorn pointed to Spike. "I feel it is a mistake to take this creature further. He will only cause trouble and there are enough foul beasts roaming these woods already." He looked meaningfully at Buffy.
"You may be right, Aragorn. If so, it won't be my first mistake, or my last. Like signing up for Psyc, Biology, French, and College Algebra at the same time. Just asking for trouble. But hey! 'Trouble' is my middle name!"
Oz had to chime in, "Trust her on that one."
Willow agreed with a wide grin.
Buffy placed her hands on her hips and said, "Let's get to it, guys. We don't have all day, you know!" She grabbed Spike's tether and yanked him to his feet. "Lead on, someone. This Wizard better be worth it."
This time, the Elf took the lead with the Ranger trailing Buffy. Spike walked ahead of Buffy and actually seemed to be cooperating, which meant that he was planning something else, so she kept a close eye on him as the breathtaking scenery went by at a fast clip. They had made a detour to the right, away from the ravine, which was taking them into a hilly and even more deeply forested area.
Legolas had shared his water skein with Willow and Oz and she had made use of Aragorn's. The vision of a Smoothie went through her head. She shook this away. Then a frozen Mocha Latte beckoned. This also she ignored but silently vowed to hit a Starbuck's the first chance she got.
She was just wondering how much longer, when the Elf stopped and motioned for Aragorn to come forward. Still holding Spike's rope, she followed Aragorn; then squeezed between them to see a campsite with two people sitting at a fire. The first was in a hooded black robe, and the second was - .
"Giles!" She tossed the rope to Aragorn and rushed forward. Laughing, Willow followed her. Oz came close to smiling and went to catch up with Willow.
Legolas and Aragorn said in unison, "Wait!"
Legolas looked back at Spike. "We are stuck with this foul beast again. Do we follow them, Aragorn?"
The Ranger took a deep breath. "We said we would lead them to Gandalf, and we have yet to do so. We shall follow them."
Giles had his head in his hands so he didn't see Buffy's approach. But the, "Giles! What are you doing here?" that came from Buffy brought him to his feet immediately.
He grabbed her and gave her a big hug before releasing her long enough to say, "I have no idea how I got here." Then seeing Willow and Oz, his huge grin got even larger. "I am so glad that all of you made it alright."
Just then, Xander came out of the forest carrying small branches that he had gathered for the fire. He put the bundle down and said, "Yup. I know we're in trouble now. We're all together in this demon dimension. That can only mean one thing."
Everyone looked at him, except for the guy in the black robe who just sat and stared into the flame.
"Death, apocalypse, destruction, the end of the world. Ok, maybe the end of everything. Am I right?" Xander was nervous but hiding it well with his cheerful grin. And definitely happy to see his friends.
Willow went up to Xander and hugged him tightly. "It can't be all that bad if we're together. Right, Giles? I mean, we've been in tough situations and gotten out before."
Giles looked at the black robed man. "This gentleman has not spoken a word to us since we arrived. But somehow I think that he brought Xander and myself here."
Buffy was puzzled before, but this was getting difficult to keep up with. She looked at the figure. "Can he get us all back?"
Giles took Buffy gently by the arms. He was trying to find some way to tell her.
But before he could say anything, the black robed figure said, "There is nothing to go back to, Slayer." The voice was deep and spoke with dignity and authority. What was that strange accent, somewhat British, but not quite?
She approached the fire just as Aragorn and Legolas arrived pulling Spike. She heard rather than saw Aragorn draw his sword. His keen eyes were upon the black-cloaked figure.
"Buffy, this person is not Gandalf." Aragorn was now alongside Buffy with his sword raised.
Again, the voice, "No, Aragorn. But friend to Gandalf the Grey." Long slender fingers pulled the hood from the head, revealing a shock of black hair, and sparkling black eyes knowingly gazed at them. The high cheekbones, firm jaw line, fair face, and stubborn chin suggested an Elfish quality, but the ears were not pointed. There was no indication of age and his velvet black robe showed a bright scarlet lining.
He smiled as Aragorn and Buffy approached.
With Aragorn standing to her left and Giles on her right, the words spoken by the figure in the black robe finally got through to her.
She took a step closer and asked, "What do you mean there's nothing left?" Turning to Giles she needed to know, "What happened?"
Giles slowly took off his glasses, using the time to try to find words that he didn't want to say. Gently, "Buffy. It happened so quickly-"
Her voice was more forceful this time. "What happened?"
Just then an eerie sound came from the gagged Spike that could only be interpreted as laughter, even through the layers of cloth. The evil expression in his glowing eyes conveyed triumph.
TBC